Contortible wire article



Sept. 7 1926. 1,599,243

c. PARKER CONTORTIBLE WIRE ARTICLE Filed March 13', 1922 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Patented Sept; 7, 1 926.

UNITED STATES PA T ENT OFFICE.

CORA PARKER, OF CORSICANA, TEXAS.

COIQ'TOBTIBLE WIRE ARTICLE Application filed March 13, 1922. Serial No. 543,894.

This invention relates to contortib'le wire implements and has for an object to provide a device capable of being used for a great variety of purposes, such, for instance,

as receptacles of various kinds, for supports for various purposes and for ornamental effects where desired.

A further object of the invention is to pro-.

- 2 provide a wire receptacle of the general basket type made up ofla plurality of substantially similar units hinged and interconnected -in such manner that the basket may be distorted from' approximate cylindricity to a variety of othershapes, or when inverted serve as a support for various purposes, as for drying articles or the like, and when collapsed to serve also as a support, as for instance for heated dishes upon a table,

so or to serve as a support for toasting bread,

. or the like over a heated surface or heating unit.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel units, 85 parts, elements, combinations, inter-connections and functions, as disclosed in the drawings, together with mechanical equivalents thereof, as will be hereinafter more ful-' 1y described and claimed. a

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the device in side elevation, some of the parts being shown in perspective and the article as an entirety assuming substantially cylindricity and position'edas a basket, such for instance as a waste basket, or the like;

Figurev2 is an inverted plan view of the device as shown at Figure 1, it also being understood that it represents the disk or 60 bottom portion of the device in any position and in any use which doesnot change except that for some purposes or by reason of the relation of the parts the bottom may be bulged from a substantial plane, as indicated;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation, some of the parts being shown in perspective, of

the article distorted by extending the connecting line intermediate the bands and diverging the top units;

Figure 4c is a view in side elevation, some of the parts being in perspective, of the central part of the unit, being contracted with the upper units still diverging as shown at Figure 3;

Figurefi is an enlarged detail sectional View of the units in edge elevation showing their connections, and

Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic. views showing some of the several positions into which the several units may be distorted, it being understood that the number of such distortions is in no way limited by the number so shown and that a great number of other forms and shapes may be given to the structure Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The improved article which forms the subject matter of this application is 'intended to form in its usual shapings a body of some nature and for convenience may be referred to herein as a basket, it being understood, however, that the term basket as applied at any part throughout this specification and claims does not in any way limit the invention to the. use of the article as a basket orits use for any and all other purposes to which such an article is or may be found of use.

- The device comprises two rings 10 and 11. In the positions shown in the drawings in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive and Figures 6 and 7 the ring 10 is the bottom ring and the ring 11 is the top ring, the rings being spaced, apart each occupying substantially arhorizontal plane. The position of the article, however, with the ring 10 at the bottom and the ring ll above is'no limitation upon the present invention, as will be apparent from other figures of the drawings. These preferably of rings 15, which rings permit the arches 13 and 14 to be moved relative to each other, such movement being accommodated by the connection of the arches with the rings 10 and 11, which is preferably through the means of eyes or loops 16 and 17 respectively. By reason of this hinging of the arches 13 and 14 to the rings 10 and 11, in the manner just described and the hinging of the units together by means of the.

rings 15, the said units may be distorted from cylindricity as shown at Figure 1, either inwardly or outwardly, as indicated at Figures 3 and 4, it being understood that these positions are not either the inward or outward limits of movements and that the members 13 and 14 may be closed together in either. direction, the outward movement initiated as at Figure 3, being shown more completely at Figures 5, 8 and 9. i

The ring 10 serves as the border for the bottom of the article when it serves in its capacity as a,basket, or as the top should the device be inverted from the position shown at Figure 1. The bottom is likewise composed of a plurality of arches 18 which are hingedly connected at their extremities to the ring 10 by means of eyes or loops 19 similar to the loops 16 and 17 with the U- bend of the arches extending toward the center of the ring 10 and preferably united in any approved manner, as by means of wires 20 having loops 21 embracing some of the U-bends of the arches 18, preferably at their junctions. It is not the intent that the connection of these parts shall be so rigid as to at all times maintain this element bounded by the ring 10 in a plane or even approximate plane, but to permit its being bulged in either direction as the exigencies of use or desirability of ornamentation shall make desirable.

The ring 11 also supports the upper series of arches 22, it being understood that designating these as upper series has nothing whatever to do with the actual position of use, as indicated more particularly at Figures 5, Sand 9 wherein this series of arches is shown at the bottom instead of the top of the articleas employed. These arches 22 are hingedly secured 'to the ring 11 by means of eyes 23, such eyes embracing. the ring 11 permitting the movement of the arches angularly relative to the plane of the ring 11.

It willbe noted from the drawings that the several seriesof arches 13, 14 and 22 are so interwoven that one of these arches may not be moved upon its supporting eye pivots without moving the entire series, whereby all of the arches of the series assume the same relation to their supporting rings. In other words if it is desired to move the arches 22 from the position relative .to

.the ring 11 shown at Figure 1 to the position shown at Figures 3 and 4, it is not necessary to move and adjust each of the arches independently and separately, as the adjustment of one or some of the arches of the series results in the adjustment of all correspondingly. The same is true of the series 13 and 14 as all are interwoven in such manner that all assume the same positions simultaneously and the series 13 and 14being inter-connected by means of the ring? 15, it is obvious that these two series w' assume complementary positions, as indicated at Figures 3 and 4.

K The useof the article disclosed in the present invention is almost limitless. A few of its uses and its shapes to adapt it for such uses may be mentioned as for instance a basket of the Waste basket type, shown at Figure 1, whereas by inverting'the article without distorting it from its shape and setting it upon a heated surface, such as a stove, it becomes a support for the drying of articles, or if set* over a more intense heat, such as a gas.burner, it ,becomes a support for the toasting of bread, or the like. The utility ofthe device for a toaster is adjustable, as for instance, it may assume the position shown at Figure 8 with the series of arches 22 supporting the bottom at a distance above the gas flame less than would be thecase by inverting it. in its condition shown at Figure 1, while the series may also be distorte by assuming a position approximately in parallelism with the bottom, as shown at Figure 9, whereby the device may be further collapsed to be employed with afiame of less heat. In the latter position it also serves as a support for heated dishes upon a surface 'such, for instance, as a table. By turning in the arches 22, as shown at Figure 7, a nearly closed receptacle may be provided which in some cases could serve as a bird cage or for holdinga ball of twine, in fact for various purposes where an animal oran article is to'be enclosed against escape. The forms as shown at Figures 3 and 4 will readily suggest their uses or at least some uses to which they may be put and the ornamental efi'ect of the use of the article in such positions and for such purposes. What 1 claim to be new is:

A contortible wire article comprising similar normally upper and lower rings spaced apart upon their axes, U-shaped loops having their ends curled to embracethe rings,

the loops at the lower ring being perma-.

nently positioned substantially in the plane of the ring and the loops of'the upper ring being movable npon their curl's as pivots to of the loops from each ring extending to-' ward the other ring and pivotally interconnected, some of said interconnected loops being positioned to hoid the loops of the upper ring against circumferential displacement.

In testimony whereof I hereu'nto afiix my signature;

CORA PARKER. 

